Rugby World Cup in Birmingham

Tuesday August 18, 2015

The Rugby World Cup is coming to Birmingham in September and we couldn't be more excited!

Whatever team you are supporting, we hope to welcome you to Birmingham. No single team has won the Rugby World Cup and then gone on to win the next tournament four years later and 2015 is all to play for.

Rugby: Five Favourite Facts

1) The original rugby balls were made of pigs bladders and blowing them up could be fatal. Mrs Liddon - wife to one of the men who made the balls for Rugby School - died having breathed in the air from too many diseased pig bladders.

2) England is the only country to date from the Northern Hemisphere to win the Rugby World Cup. England won in 2003 and the other winners have been New Zealand (1987 & 2011), South Africa (2007 & 1995) and Australia (1999).

3) Rugby is the national sport of New Zealand, Wales and (less commonly known) Madagascar. Madagascar has yet to take part in a Rugby World Cup, whilst New Zealand has won the tournament twice. Wales has reached every tournament and came third in 1987 and fourth in 2011.

4) Rugby is a tremendously tough game and injury rates are said to be three times higher in rugby than in football (aka soccer).

5) England's Jonny Wilkinson is the top scoring Rugby World Cup player to date. He scored 277 points over his Rugby World Cup career.

* SPECIAL OFFER *South Africa play Samoa on Saturday, September 26th and Australia go up againstUruguay on Sunday 27th. We have a special offer at our serviced apartments in Birmingham if you stay over that weekend for two nights or more. Enjoy 10% off your booking plus a complimentary bottle of champagne (chilling in your apartment on arrival). Book here using the code RUGBY2015

Why Choose Staying Cool?You'll find our stylish serviced apartments just a minute or two from Birmingham's two main train stations. The rugby matches are taking place at Villa Park and it is very easy to reach the stadium from the city centre via public transport.

Our apartments offer the space to hang out with the friends or family you are travelling with. Our two-bedroom Maxis and Penthouses feature spacious living areas, kitchens and en-suite bathrooms and they're ideal for groups. Our chic Mini studios and our one-bedroom Clubmanapartments were designed for one or two people.

The apartments have everything that you need to make yourselves at home such as washing machines and irons, plus plenty of room in the fridge for cold drinks and snacks. Relax and catch sports on Sky TV in the privacy and comfort of your apartment.

Birmingham is a wonderful, welcoming city and, as our apartments are right at the heart of it, you'll have access to a wonderful range of bars and restaurants on your doorstep.

The Rugby World Cup is taking place at 13 different venues in England and Wales (full fixture list here). Birmingham is a good base for travel to matches taking part in other parts of the country. For example, Leicester is under an hour away by train, whilst London can be reached in one hour 20 minutes.

Our friendly guest relations team will be happy to help you in any way they can and ensure that you really enjoy your visit to Birmingham.